


ITACHI HATES DYING

by orphan_account



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-01
Updated: 2008-06-01
Packaged: 2017-11-16 02:26:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/534465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The illness lost its humor once it became a frequent thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	ITACHI HATES DYING

Kisame knew Itachi's days were numbered the moment he'd begun to vomit blood. It all started when they set up camp after travelling by foot for three days straight. They could have gone on longer, but when they were surrounded by enemies Itachi had no choice but to use his Sharingan. He hid it well, but the stagger in his step afterward was unmistakable, and his focus was shot. Kisame stopped just in front of him, and Itachi couldn't even see it. He knocked into the taller man's back, and that's when they decided that a little rest was in order.

That was the first night Kisame awoke to Itachi's strangled coughs, streams of blood pooling through his fingers. It was almost humorous to see a kid his age struggle with illness fit for an old man. That's what he gets for acting like an old man. Itachi was fairly resilient to his occasional bouts of illness, and made it clear to Kisame that their leader wasn't to learn of it. The last thing he needed was the scorn, or worse, the concern of anyone. He just wanted to do his thing, and live long enough to see Sasuke's face once more. He could do that all on his own.

Or so he thought. The illness lost its humor once it became a frequent thing. Itachi grew paler by the day, and if Kisame were to touch that sheet-white skin, he had no doubt that it'd be as cold as it looked. At this rate, he and his partner would just be walking along, and Kisame would hear something go 'thud' from behind. He'd turn around, and Itachi would be dead on the ground.

Perhaps the most amazing part about all of this was that Itachi never spoke of it, that was, until Kisame did hear the 'thud' from behind. It wasn't what he thought it was going to be, though. Itachi merely seated himself beneath a tree, straightening his back the best he could against the bark while he caught his breath. Breathless was a new one, as far as Kisame knew. It just wasn't in Itachi's nature to be a display of weakness. Unfortunately, this could only mean one thing. The days Itachi had to live were no longer days. They were more like hours, perhaps even minutes. Kisame walked over toward his exhausted partner, grinning to keep the mood light. That's how Itachi would want it.

"Kisame, are you… can't see," said Itachi, speaking beneath labored gasps. He reached over and grabbed his companion by the hair, and Kisame chuckled. Surely there was still some humor to this situation.

"It's just me here, Itachi-san," said Kisame, removing the missing Leaf's hand from his head before he mistook it for some odd form of affection. Itachi wasn't the affectionate type. "Are you sure you want to stop here?"

"Sasuke… he's close. I can feel him," said Itachi. It was funny how he could feel Sasuke, yet it was the shoulders of Kisame's cloak that the Uchiha was clutching. He appeared so weak, and yet he had so much power in him, perhaps barely enough to take out an army before he dropped dead. Yes, he could take out an army while barely being able to stand up. Only Itachi. "Kisame… "

"Take it easy, Itachi-san. If he's close then we'll take care of him."

"No!" Itachi's head was a few inches from Kisame's cloak. It was almost as though he were seeking the other man's body for warmth, to find the strength to stand, to live. "I must do it alone, but I must… I must…

"Go alone, and I must live. He's close, but not close enough. At this rate, I won't… "

"You'll be fine," said Kisame. "It's just the blood loss getting to you. Relax."

"I can't…" Red eyes, bloodshot with Sharingan, peered right up at Kisame. Seems he was close enough to see where Kisame's eyes were. He never saw his partner look so desperate for something. Hell, it wasn't like Itachi ever asked for much. He was too proud, too independent; however, things do change, and for once Itachi acknowledged his partner as a little more than some guy the leader stuck him with because it was the rules. "Kisame, I must live until he comes. I must see Sasuke. Do anything… to keep me alive until then."

Anything.

"What do you think I can d-mmm," said Kisame, that was, before his question was answered by Itachi's bruising lips. They were every bit as cold as they looked, not that Kisame would have admitted to looking. Then there was his skin, those bloodless hands that felt like ice. Itachi was always far too perceptive for his own good, to be legally blind and still see that his teammate has spent years ogling him. He was using that to his advantage. Now he wanted to use sex or something to keep himself busy, to keep his mind off of dying. Hell, to keep himself from dying just yet.

If it was the best that Kisame ever could hope to get from Itachi, especially now that his days were numbered, then he would comply.

THE END


End file.
